Giants have mixed history in NFL title games

Feb. 3, 2012

Baltimore Colts fullback Alan Ameche plunges through a gaping hole in the New York Giants defense to give the Colts a 23-17 sudden-death overtime win in the NFL championship game at Yankee Stadium on Dec. 28, 1958. / File photo/The Journal News

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No, not the one that featured David Tyree’s ball-against-the-helmet trick and then Eli Manning’s final-minute pitch-and-catch with Plaxico Burress that turned the Giants into giant killers, winning 17-14 over the undefeated New England Patriots at Super Bowl XLII four years ago in Arizona.

This was 1958 at Yankee Stadium, Giants vs. Baltimore Colts, the first time sudden death came in to play in the NFL Championship Game. The Giants died hard in that one, 23-17, but the event got tagged as “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”

The Giants will be back playing in the ultimate game tonight, vying for first prize in a rematch against the Pats in Super Bowl XLVI at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium. But the Giants’ track record has been decidedly mixed in NFL title games. They are just 6-12, although that includes a 3-1 mark in Super Bowls.

Here’s a look back through the seasons:

1933:Bears 33, Giants 31 — Before the season, the league split into Eastern and Western divisions and planned to hold its first NFL Championship Game. So it was Steve Owen’s Giants vs. the Bears in front of 26,000 fans on Dec. 17, 1933, at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. The Giants had the lead entering the final minute, but Chicago’s Billy Karr scored on a 19-yard lateral off a reception.

1934:Giants 30, Bears 13 — Chicago arrived at the Polo Grounds undefeated, but several Giants had the bright idea to ditch their cleats and put on basketball sneakers for the second half, the better to navigate the icy terrain. They navigated the final quarter rather well, putting up 27 straight points in climbing out of a 13-3 hole. This became known as “The Sneakers Game.”

1935:Lions 26, Giants 7 — There was rain, sleet and snow falling on 15,000 hardy souls at the University of Detroit Stadium, and there wasn’t much offense from the Giants because of that and the Detroit defense. The Lions ran for four scores.

1938:Giants 23, Packers 17 — Green Bay was clinging to a 17-16 edge in the third quarter at the Polo Grounds. Then Ed Danowski connected with Hank Soar for the go-ahead 23-yard touchdown. The Giants blocked two punts, setting them up to take a 9-0 lead in the first quarter.

1939:Packers 27, Giants 0 — It wasn’t exactly a happy day for the Giants at crisp State Fair Park in Milwaukee. The Giants gained only 149 yards, and their coach didn’t attend. Owen’s mom had died, so he was away for the funeral.

1941:Bears 37, Giants 9 — The Giants met the defending champs before just 13,341 at Wrigley Field. Pearl Harbor had been attacked exactly two weeks earlier. It was an airtight game at 9-9 early in the third quarter, and then Chicago scored two touchdowns in that period and two more in the fourth.

1944:Packers 14, Giants 7 — Ted Fritsch’s two touchdowns in the second quarter, one running, one receiving, held up at the Polo Grounds. Ward Cuff delivered a short scoring run in the final quarter, but Arnie Herber, the ex-Packer who had unretired before the season, got picked off late at the Green Bay 20.

1946:Bears 24, Giants 14 — Frank Filchock, the Giants’ $35,000 quarterback, and back Merle Hapes faced questions leading up to this matchup at the Polo Grounds. This was over a man from New York attempting to fix the game. Commissioner Bert Bell wouldn’t let Hapes play, hitting him with an indefinite suspension. But Bell did let Filchock take part. Filchock ended up throwing six interceptions.

1956:Giants 47, Bears 7 — The Giants, under Jim Lee Howell, moved to Yankee Stadium and hosted the title game. They wore basketball sneakers again and cruised past Chicago behind two Charlie Conerly TD tosses and two short Alex Webster scoring runs.

1958:Colts 23 Giants 17 (OT) — Baltimore’s Steve Myhra booted a 20-yard field goal with seven seconds on the clock to force overtime at Yankee Stadium. Alan Ameche ended it by plunging in from the 1 with 8:15 gone in the extra session. “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” which was televised by NBC, is known as one that really helped pro football grow in the public consciousness.

1959:Colts 31, Giants 16 — The Giants led 9-7 at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium thanks to three Pat Summerall field goals. Then came the fourth quarter. Johnny Unitas ran 4 yards for a touchdown, then threw for another, and the Colts ended up outscoring the Giants 24-7.

1961:Packers 37, Giants 0 — The Giants had a new coach in Allie Sherman and a new top quarterback in Y.A. Tittle. But they had a bad ending at new City Stadium (now Lambeau Field) in frigid Green Bay. Bart Starr fired three touchdown passes, and Paul Hornung drilled three field goals and ran for a score for Vince Lombardi’s Packers.

1962:Packers 16, Giants 7 — Jerry Kramer kicked three field goals for Green Bay at Yankee Stadium, all from 30 yards or less. The Giants touchdown came on a blocked punt.

1963:Bears 14, Giants 10 — Tittle, who threw a career-high 36 touchdown passes, hurt his knee in the first half at Wrigley Field. He played on, but the injury had an impact. Tittle threw five interceptions, one leading to Chicago’s go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter.

1986:Giants 39, Broncos 20 — Bill Parcells guided the Giants to their first Super Bowl, No. XXI on your roster. There were 101,063 fans stuffed into the Rose Bowl, and they saw MVP Phil Simms complete 22 of 25 passes, good for 88 percent, setting a Super Bowl record. Simms threw for 268 yards with three TDs and no INTs. The Giants went a franchise-best 17-2.

1990:Giants 20, Bills 19 — The Giants claimed Super Bowl XXV at Tampa Stadium thanks to Matt Bahr’s go-ahead field goal with 7:20 left and Buffalo’s Scott Norwood infamously missing wide right from 47 yards with four seconds left. The Giants set a Super Bowl record by controlling the ball for 40:33.

2000:Ravens 34, Giants 7 — Jim Fassel’s Giants were back in Tampa for Super Bowl XXXV at Raymond James Stadium, but they were overwhelmed by Baltimore’s vaunted defense, which intercepted Kerry Collins four times and allowed only 152 total yards. Brad Maynard got to play a lot for the Giants. He set the Super Bowl record with 11 punts.

2007:Giants 17, Patriots 14 — The mighty Pats were looking ready to go a record 19-0. They took a 14-10 lead with 2:42 remaining in Super Bowl XLII at University of Phoenix Stadium. But on third-and-5 from his own 44, Manning pulled off a great escape, and Tyree pulled in his catch for the ages at the 24. Then Manning, the MVP, found Burress for a 13-yard score with 35 seconds to go. Cue the confetti for Tom Coughlin’s Giants.